Activia anyone?

Has anyone tried the yogurt called ACTIVIA? What are your thoughts on it and how has it helped you? I bought some today and am curious.

Fri. Nov 3, 9:18pm

Well, in fact, I am eating a cup of strawberry Activia right now. I've bought this product when I do buy yogurt because I really like the idea of probiotics, and it seems like a good natural way to get those good bacteria in there.
For some reason, though, I don't eat yogurt every day. Probably because I usually think of it as dessert, leave it until the end of the day, and then forget about it. Anyway, the point is that I don't eat Activia regularly enough to identify its impact.
However, if nothing else, I think it's a delicious yogurt and one of my favorites. I've tried all the flavors, even prune (!). I highly recommend a cup of vanilla Activia mixed with diced apples or other fresh fruit. I also mixed it with berry applesauce and it was incredibly tasty.
On a semi-related side note, I think there has been definite evidence that yogurt can help prolong your life. I saw a feature once on a 100+ old gentleman who ate his homemade yogurt every single day. I have to think that the good cultures in the yogurt are really beneficial to your health, even if you can't immediately identify a huge difference in your daily digestion or other physical aspects.
And that concludes my very non-scientific, anecdotal experience with Activia. In any case, enjoy your yogurt!

Saturday, November 4, 2006, 10:51 AM

Can it really be better than other good yogurts which contain live active cultures, like Nancy's and I think Brown Cow and some others?

Monday, November 6, 2006, 5:30 PM

be careful about what we think is healthy. while probiotics can do wonders for our digestive health-marketing does a great job of ignoring other factors.

activia's ingredients list includes: "fructose syrup" and "carmine" (for the yogurts w/ a red/purple color). this to me takes it off my list of foods that i want to include in my diet. yogurts should either not have added sugar or if they do it should be a limited amount from a natural source like honey, molasses or maple syrup.

carmine is a "natural" food coloring. do you want to know what carmine comes from? it's a powder made from grinding or boiling red beetles-while it's not bad for you, i prefer not to eat it (however it isn't in all activia-just those w/ red/purple color). my food doesn't need any added coloring to be more appealing, thank you very much.

also-it contains "modified corn starch". Corn starch that has been modified means that it comes from genetically altered corn.

Monday, November 6, 2006, 9:19 PM

If you are looking for probiotics, you should stick with Stonyfield fat free or lowfat yogurt. It sounds like Dannon Activa has corn syrup, which is tough on your system to digest. The diary is hard enough on your system as it is.

Monday, April 16, 2007, 3:18 PM

I saw the commercial for this last night and thought about posting on here to see what people had to say.

Ground beetles makes carmine? GROSS!

I don't think I will be trying this. I will try the Stonyfield, which I havent tried yet

thanks for the info!

Monday, April 16, 2007, 3:33 PM

activia yogurt

For years I've eaten yogurt every morning--plain lowfat yogurt with a bit of honey because I don't like the added sugar, flavoring, and calories in most yogurts. I've tried all the brands. Occasionally I also eat cottage cheese, which supposedly has the same strains as activia. I have problems with bloating that I suspect have to do with wheat or gluten because when I give them up it improves. But activia is really the only yogurt that gets rid of bloating for me completely, and I mean within a day or two of when I start eating it again after not having had it for a while. I don't get it! And I seriously feel like things are let's say, moving around, when I eat it daily or every other day. Anyone found a yogurt that has less sugar and calories but is equally effective?

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 1:51 PM

Pretty much any yogurt has live and active cultures, just look at the label. Also, I think avoiding corn syrup as much as possible is a good idea. Cochineal extract (sp) is made from ground up bugs. Gel cups that contain fruit and "gel" rather than gelatin often use cochineal to color. Companies began doing this because people were complaining about the use of artificial colors.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 2:11 PM

um, modified corn starch is specifically from GM corn. Modified simply means that by chemical or physical processing, the properties of the corn starch has been changed. Nowadays most corn is GM to some extent, and consumers don't need to be told when something is GM

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 10:37 PM

Activia

I love it! It regulates my digestive system and I feel better. I will say, I'm looking for an alternative, maybe homemade yogurt instead. It works, but over a year it will cost about $180 (one self serving per day from Costco).

Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 9:39 PM

I am in agreement with the above posters from Aug. of 2007. . . .The modified corn and corn syrup are not great things to put into your body . . . you can get so many healthy bacteria from plain old non- fat yogurt . . . .if that is what you are looking for

Thursday, January 8, 2009, 1:23 AM

i have been eating activia for a while now because i love the creamy flavour...and it has been effective with my digestive system. not sure i like what i've been reading about some of the ingredients though....

Thursday, January 8, 2009, 1:02 PM

Um, I like how you think consumers don't need to be told what is modified and what is not. If you are purchasing their product with your money, you are entitled to whatever information is available. I suppose you would feel the same way about ordering food at a restaurant? For the sake of argument, let us say you ordered vegetable soup but you were allergic to carrot... would you not ask if carrot was in the soup??

And Modified Corn Starch is a form of MSG. Look up the effects of MSG sometime... or here how about I give you a head-start:

There is evidence that MSG causes: obesity, stress, fatigue, retinal degeneration, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, heart irregularities, migraine headaches, brain damage (in babies and young children), kills brain cells -- leading to behavior disorders, learning disabilities, reproductive disorders, even cancer … only to name a few (and to name what we actually know at the time).

Google it, spend some time really looking into what consumers do or do not need to be told.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 10:22 PM

I make my own yogurt. It is easy. I use goats milk, but you could use cows milk, of course. If you think Activia has the best cultures, then use a container of this as your starter. Then skip adding all the sweetener in your homemade version. I just heat milk to below boiling point, let it cool until its not so hot (very scientific -- LOL), then you stir in the starter --maybe a half cup of yogurt to a quart of milk. Then, put yogurt in sterilized jars, cover with saran wrap and cover with towels to keep it warm. After about four or five hours you have yogurt and a great sense of satisfaction. I'm sure you can look up on the web how others make yogurt.

Thursday, May 14, 2009, 2:20 AM

Activia

Never thought I'd join a site to discuss poop, BUT...gotta say....save your money!!! For me, I started eating Fiber All and it did great....far cheaper AND, Activia didn't work for me....and when I ate it with the Fiber All, it "decided" to work and gave me some serious cramping. Just eating Fiber All now and feel GREAT!!!! PS....I don't work for the cereal company.

Friday, June 12, 2009, 11:07 AM

to May 13: Actually it was a type. "modified corn starch" does NOT mean GM corn.

And no, consumers don't *need* to be told. They should be no doubt, but there is no obligation on food producers to do anything besides put down ingredients. And in that regard, even that is lame. As if anyone is going to understand what "autolysed yeast extract" or "glucose-fructose" is.

If consumers really want to know what they're eating, they should quit buying pre-made food products and make their own.

As a person who suffers from a corn allergy, I'll be the first to say it's absolutely insidious. But few people have any clue what ingredients mean (eg: glucose-fructose, modified high fructose corn syrup)

Friday, June 12, 2009, 4:23 PM

Activia

I just had found out what was in activa an I have been eating activa for a while And Iwillnever pick up activia again it is sickning it has what it has inside!

Monday, June 22, 2009, 8:59 PM

Activa

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WHERE PRACTICLY EATING BEETLES ! In activa there are red beetles . I can't belive it I always thought activa was awsome untill I had read about how it had crushed beetles in it I am never in my life picking up activa AGAIN ! This is the GROSS ! I hate how they don't say the ingrediants on the back of the yougart ! LIKE I SAID I THOUGHT ACTIVA WAS AWSOME FOR YOU BUT NOW NOT SO MUCH !

Monday, June 22, 2009, 9:11 PM

I'd eat bugs if it would help me lose weight and taste good! crunch! crunch!

Monday, June 22, 2009, 10:59 PM

Wouldn't you rather eat color derived from bugs than artificial colors? Many cultures eat bugs and insects - we eat animals - really, this is just another product from animals. We are just not used to the idea, but really, think about it! It's just another animal derived product and surely better for you than artificial colors. It's all sterilized and ground up for color.

As for yogurts - as far as I know any brand that says "contains live active cultures" is good for you. What isn't so great is all of the added sugars - whether they are sucrose, fructose, or even natural sugars like honey or molassas. Some yogurts contain as much sugar as ice cream!

I prefer to get plain yogurt and add just a little of my preferred sweetener like fruits or a little honey or agave.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 5:05 AM

Re Carmine- Ok, looked on wikipedia - apparently some people are very alergic to carmine, and it is certainly not vegan or vegetarian. Still, I think it would be preferable to other chemical derived colors, or would anyone like to dispute that?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 5:09 AM

Do you know where the bacterias come from?? They come from POOP. Serious here, there was a documentary about this in the Netherlands.
A critical documentary-serie that looks at what is behind products and looks if the advertisements are correct. (Public TV, no 'fun' commercial TV)
The interviewers also went to Actimel and asked the people there at the end. They could not say it the bacteria could not be leaded back to POOP-bacterias!

As a vegetarian/almost vegan i certainly not eat bugs.

And as a consumer i will not be 'bottled' and pay such a high price for yoghurt with bacteria. Have you ever looked how much it costs per LITER?? A Lot!!

Well... you can imagine that this are allready 3 reasons that i would never ever eat that Activa - and to be honest every one of them is 1 reason enough!!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 5:37 AM

Modified corn starch, GM corn and MSG are three different things. Corn starch is used as a thickener in the yoghurt (it makes it creamier, without the cream). It is not necessarily from GM corn. MSG is monosodium glutamate, a salt which is used as a flavour enhancer in foods.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 9:34 AM

Activia is just a well marketed yogurt. They put it in a fancy package and charge you four time as much for it - but yogurt is still just yogurt.

I also can't stand those commercials for Danctive yogurt with "L Casei Immunitas." It's just a made-up name for a bacteria - nothing scientific about it at all.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 10:25 AM

Oh for goodness' sake! Did you know that you can get PLAIN Lowfat Activia with NO corn syrup and NO red coloring for $2.69 a quart?

I have no idea whether it's different from any other live-culture yogurt. But I do know that some grocery stores carry a version without sweeteners, cochineal, or tiny, expensive packages.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 1:48 PM

Activa

I just heard what my dad said And he is actullay eating it right NOW and NOW they are saying them BUGS are good I can't belive what I am hearing

GOSH!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 6:51 PM

Actually 10:25, Lactobacillus casei is a real bacterium. From Wikipedia:
"Lactobacillus casei is a species of genus Lactobacillus found in the human intestine and mouth. As a lactic acid producer, it has been found to assist in the propagation of desirable bacteria. [It] complements the growth of L. acidophilus, a producer of the enzyme amylase (a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme). It is known to improve digestion and reduce lactose intolerance and constipation."

Thursday, June 25, 2009, 5:00 AM

I personally am obsessed with Dannon's Light and Fit - WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY. Can we just say Yum!

Thursday, June 25, 2009, 1:51 PM

hospital

I started eating activia and all the sudden developed a rash all over my chest..thinking it was something else, continued to eat activia.

I ended up in the ER and $9252 later. I stopped eating that stuff and about 2 weeks later all the rash was gone and 8 weeks later my stomach is better. I still don't feel 100% but getting there. Be careful!!!!

Saturday, August 29, 2009, 4:59 PM

not sure i can finish my activia

I have cherry, strawberry, & blueberry activia in my fridge...but now that I read it's made w/ beetles...not sure if I can finish the yougart...I am not interested in eating anything that contains beetles, crushed or otherwise.

Friday, January 15, 2010, 9:07 AM

Do you know how many bugs you actually eat in a year? Do you eat products made of flour? Do you eat cereal? Do you eat frozen veggies? All these things and more have bug parts in them. It's no big deal, it's just protein. The average human eats more than 5 pounds of bugs a year. A few beetles in some yogurt isn't all that much.

I am loving what Activia is doing for me and it's no more expensive than regular yogurt, which is also a beneficial addition to any diet.

Friday, January 15, 2010, 10:25 AM

activia

Tried it , it didnt work. if you have problems going to the bathroom try cascara. its an herb. It works.

Sunday, January 17, 2010, 4:12 PM

carmine is found in almost all foods

Carmine is a brilliant red dye made from crushed scale insects, typically cochineal or Polish cochineal insects. This dye is used in a wide variety of products, from cheese to paints, and people are often unaware of its use, due to the fact that labeling laws do not usually require the disclosure of carmine. Carmine has attracted a great deal of attention in some communities such as the vegetarian community due to its use as a food additive.

Monday, September 6, 2010, 10:29 AM

Activia

you probably ate more bugs a beetles in your lifetime then you realize,
looks at the ingredients on all your food,
then google them, it's not a big deal

Monday, September 6, 2010, 10:45 AM

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